In the medical field the intravenous insertion of needles, catheters, cannulas and the like into a patient generally requires some means to secure the catheter or needle in place for the period of use. This has generally been done by positioning a gauze pad and/or by the application of strips of tape for securing the catheter and associated tubing to the patient so as to prevent any accidental removal of the catheter by sudden patient movement or the like. Obviously, the use of such a technique is not acceptable since the placement of the catheter is entirely non-uniform, or becomes a hit-or-miss proposition, proper placement of the catheter or needle is clearly not insured, such placement is quite slow, and is heavily dependent on the ability of the nurse or other technician who is applying the catheter, etc.
These problems become particularly acute in connection with the use of catheters in dialysis treatments, in which the patients generally require continual dialysis treatments and usually have a graft which has previously been implanted subcutaneously, and which requires continuing application and securing of the catheters during the entire dialysis procedure. Improper catheter application in such cases is thus not only painful, but this becomes a particularly harmful problem when the catheter misses or projects through the graft, thus invading the patient, with resultant problems of toxicity, etc. There has thus been a continuing search for new devices to replace the present ones, and to insure proper application and securing of the catheter or needle.
In particular, one such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,402,306 to Turkel. The device in this patent includes a support for the needle with extending leaf members which can be attached by tape or the like. The support includes means for angular entry of the needle, and in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 9, and 10 thereof there is provision for altering the angle of the needle. However, as in the other prior art devices, it still becomes necessary to try to carefully aim the catheter into the desired injection site, and no physical means are provided for insuring that the catheter is properly placed and aligned with a pre-implanted graft or the like.
A number of prior art devices have also been developed which incorporate some type of attempt to mate with a vein or other body fluid-carrying conduit. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,248 to DeVitis, which has a guide with a V-shaped lower surface for such purposes, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,461 to Marais et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,105 to Cutruzzula et al.
A number of other such devices have also been employed in an attempt to maintain the catheters in place after angular insertion. These include U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,026 to Wagner, which includes a protective device for covering the catheter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,137 to Lund, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,842 to Flood.
The search has therefore continued for a practical device which can accurately and securely assist in fixing the catheter in place, i.e., not only by permitting insertion at precisely the right location, angle, and depth, but which can also firmly secure the catheter in place without additional difficulty.